May The Best Man Win
by x Varda x
Summary: Complete! Written as a tag for Season 5 ‘Tracker,’ it runs on from the last scene. It features the McKay/Ronon/Keller love triangle along with large amounts Rodney h/c and angst for all!
1. I'm Not Going to Fight You For Her

**Disclaimer** - "Stargate" and all related characters and images are the property of MGM Television Entertainment.

**Rating** – T for violence

**A/N** – Written as a tag for Season 5's '_Tracker_ ,' it runs on from the last scene. I _know_ Ronon's OOC, but all will become clear later…

**_May the Best Man Win_**

**Chapter 1 - I'm Not Going to Fight You For Her**

Ronon paused and rested his hands on the stick he was wielding. He said gruffly, "Maybe I do... have… _intentions_ ."

Rodney looked across the gym at the Satedan brandishing his quarterstaff. He mumbled and looked away. He sounded a little put out as he uttered a soft, "Oh."

Ronon asked, "Do _you_ have intentions?"

"Yes, well, of _course_ I do. That's why I was _asking_ you."

Ronon swung the stick a little in his grasp as it rested on the floor and asked, "So what are we going to do about it?"

Rodney sighed and said, "I don't know."

Ronon lifted the stick off the ground and swung it towards Rodney, who was luckily standing a little too far away for it to hit him, but he knew a taunt when he saw one.

He eyed the stick and said without any trace of fear, "I'm not going to _fight_ you for her, if that's what you're thinking."

"Great!"

Rodney quickly continued, "I'm not going to step aside, either," he pointed his finger at Ronon as he spoke, "So we're just going to have to let _her_ decide."

"Okay," Ronon said with a smirk barely hidden behind his beard.

"Okay. So..." Rodney walked forward and pulled one of his hands out of his pockets to offer it outstretched to his teammate, "...may the best man win."

Ronon swapped the stick into his left hand so that he could shake Rodney's hand. He grasped the other man's hand with a smile and Rodney barely met his eyes for a moment before he looked away nervously. It was almost like he knew he had already lost.

Ronon suddenly broke the handshake and his smile instantly vanished. He dropped his fighting stick, held his head and groaned.

Rodney narrowed his eyes in concern and asked, "Hey, what's up?"

Ronon rubbed his temples and winced, "I… don't know… just got a headache."

"Suddenly? Did you have it before?"

"No."

Ronon swayed a little as he tried to walk and Rodney had to grab hold of the Satedan's arm to prevent him from falling over. McKay grunted under the pressure of the weight leaning against him and asked in a strained voice, "Do you think you can get to the infirmary?"

Ronon frowned in pain and pushed himself off Rodney with such force that the smaller man staggered across the gym with an indignant huff.

He mumbled, "Yes."

Rodney nodded and tapped his radio, "McKay to infirmary."

Jennifer answered, _"Go ahead, Rodney."_

McKay stiffened at the sound of Jennifer's voice and he said, "Ronon's got a headache, I'm bringing him over to you now."

Jennifer answered in a worried voice, _"Okay, you don't need me to come to you?"_

Rodney glanced at Ronon, who was holding his head again and had his eyes shut. "I'll call you again if I have, uh, any problems."

----------

Rodney staggered into the infirmary with Ronon who had his arm draped heavily across the scientist's shoulders. He shifted himself and Ronon over to one of the beds and deposited the flagging Satedan onto it.

Rodney released a relieved sigh and stretched his back with an audible crack after the weight was finally removed.

Jennifer had spotted them and was already on her way over. She nodded at Rodney and then looked at Ronon as she asked him, "What happened?"

Ronon mumbled, "Don't know. I was talking to McKay and now my head hurts."

Rodney smirked, "Wouldn't be the first time."

Jennifer shot him an exasperated look and then turned her attention back to Ronon. She felt his glands and asked, "Any other symptoms?"

"I feel a little dizzy."

"Hmm, well, it could just be a headache…"

Rodney cut in with his eyes wide and fearful, "Or it may be the first symptoms of a flesh eating parasite and you'll be dead within an hour!"

Jennifer rolled her eyes, "…but as this _is_ the Pegasus Galaxy, it could be anything. I'm going to need to take a blood sample. Hang on…"

Jennifer walked away and left him alone with Rodney again. McKay rocked back and forth on his feet nervously as he buried his hands in his pockets.

Ronon closed his eyes briefly and looked like he was about to fall from the bed. Rodney rushed over to him and grabbed the Satedan's upper arm to try and guide him to lie down.

Ronon swayed a little, but stayed upright as he sat on the bed and resisted McKay's efforts to help him.

Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he glanced at Rodney with a cold and calculating glare. McKay instantly let go of him and flinched backwards like the look had physically hurt him.

"What?!"

Ronon narrowed his eyes at Rodney and then looked around the infirmary like he had never even been there before. His eyes settled on Jennifer as she came back over to him with some equipment.

Rodney frowned at Ronon's gaze as the Satedan looked at Jennifer almost hungrily. He said warningly to his teammate, "Remember what we just talked about…"

Ronon did not acknowledge that McKay had even spoken as he stared at Jennifer. She met his eyes for a moment and her gaze darted to Rodney, before she dropped her eyes to look at the ground.

She drew up to Ronon and was just about to strap the cuff around his arm when he stood up and drew in a deep breath.

Jennifer stepped backwards as Ronon invaded her personal space. He followed her and continued to give her the hungry look as he stared at her in desire.

Rodney had his mouth open indignantly and went over to rescue Jennifer. He muttered nervously, "Ronon, what are you doing?"

Jennifer said, "Ronon, stop! I need you to lie down."

Ronon smirked at her and then leant over so that his head was near hers. He inhaled the fragrance of her hair and smiled contentedly.

Jennifer frowned and stumbled slightly as her back met one of the beds and she could no longer get any further away from him. Ronon also stopped, but he was so close he was practically touching her.

Jennifer glanced around him at Rodney, who was looking confused and upset. She placed her hand on Ronon's chest in an attempt to move him out of the way enough so that she could escape. She shoved, but he stood firm and leant in even closer.

Rodney walked over right behind him and said calmly, "Ronon, move away."

He ignored the scientist and suddenly clamped his teeth down on Jennifer's cheek.

She cried out in shock as he bit her and Rodney finally decided that enough was enough. He rushed forwards and grabbed Ronon's shoulders roughly.

He said in an alarmed squeak, "Move away!"

He was able to pull Ronon backwards enough for Jennifer to wriggle free. She had her hand over the small bite mark on her face and a shocked and puzzled expression as she watched Rodney desperately grappling with Ronon.

Rodney now had his arms wrapped around Ronon's chest in a tight hug as he tried to stop the other man from breaking free to attack Jennifer again. Ronon brought both of his arms forward and then savagely and quickly moved his elbows back and struck McKay behind him in the stomach.

Rodney lost his breath and grip on the Satedan at the same time and stumbled backwards with both arms on his midsection as he bent double from the force of the blow. When he finally managed to breathe again, he coughed painfully and glanced at Ronon fearfully. A flash of betrayal and a hurt that ran deeper than the physical one he had just received also showed behind his eyes.

Jennifer tapped her radio, "Security to the infirmary," and then backed up to the wall as Ronon ignored Rodney once more and came towards her.

McKay panted and called out to him, "Stop! Please, stop! Ronon?" He grimaced and closed his watering eyes as he remained leaning forwards at the waist with both arms clamped over his belly.

He noticed that Ronon was ignoring him again so he clenched his teeth and steeled himself as he straightened up and walked over to him.

Rodney shuddered and blinked slowly through the pain, but managed to shuffle forwards. He came up behind Ronon as the Satedan pinned Jennifer to the wall with each arm on either side of her head.

Rodney grabbed Ronon's arm, but stayed to the side to avoid another reverse elbow strike. He yanked the man backwards and finally got Ronon's attention. He gritted his teeth as the motion made his body twist and the pain from the bruising flared sharply through his abdomen.

Rodney asked him in a shaky and tiny voice, "What are you doing, Ronon?"

Ronon narrowed his eyes at Jennifer briefly before he returned them to the man challenging him. He chuckled as he back fisted Rodney in the side of the head.

McKay cried out and spun around. He nearly lost his footing, but was somehow able to stand up straight again. He dabbed the side of his face with his hand and winced.

What Rodney made up for in brainpower, he unfortunately lacked in physical strength. At least compared to the burly and aggressive Satedan when he was in the mood for a fight. He therefore did not really stand a chance against Ronon as the taller man towered over him with nothing but menace and ill intentions etching his features.

Rodney stumbled backwards and tried to cower away as Ronon rounded on him with his fists bunched tightly and drawn up in a fighting stance.

Jennifer said in alarm, "Where's that security team?!"

Rodney brought his own small and ineffective fists forwards and furrowed his brow as Ronon started to circle.

Jennifer suddenly stepped in between the two men as they squared each other up. She looked at each of them and said, "Stop what you're doing, both of you!"

Ronon put his hand on her shoulder and shoved her out of the way. She fell onto the floor and was too stunned to move for several minutes.

McKay very valiantly blocked the first punch aimed at his head, but he left himself wide open to an attack. Ronon saw his vulnerability and took advantage of it with a heavy blow to his chest.

Rodney coughed again as his breath was knocked out of him, but did not try to counter Ronon with any of his own attacks. Jennifer looked on in horror as she slowly and painfully picked herself up off the floor.

Ronon suddenly surged forwards at Rodney and used his fists like pistons as he hammered many brutal blows into Rodney's body. McKay yelped in pain as the punches were driven into his ribcage and abdomen. He covered his head with both of his arms and Ronon tried to hit his face, but only managed to bruise his forearms.

Rodney staggered backwards and trembled in shock over the attack. He was beginning to lose his balance as the trauma began to register in his mind and the bruises spread out under his skin. His eyes were tightly squeezed closed and his face was screwed up in pain.

Ronon stepped back a short distance and turned to the side as he delivered his final hit. He roundhouse kicked Rodney in the side with such force that he was flung across the infirmary into one of the beds. He collapsed down onto the floor where blood immediately started to dribble from his slack mouth.

Ronon still had not finished with him though, even though Rodney was now unconscious and seriously hurt. He walked over to the crumpled scientist as he curled up on the floor and a pool of blood slowly formed under his head.

Ronon drew his foot back for another kick, but Jennifer's hand on his arm stayed him. She cried to him in fright, "Ronon, no!"

He hesitated for an instant and Jennifer let go of him. He narrowed his eyes down at Rodney's prone form and he rapidly swung his foot forwards aimed at Rodney's head.

Suddenly, Ronon's body was enveloped in blue light as he was hit by a stunner blast. His foot jerked to the side and missed Rodney by mere inches. He stayed upright until a second stun hit him and he fell down.

----------

TBC


	2. Intentions

**Chapter Two - Intentions**

John was flanked by two marines and kept his Wraith stunner trained on Ronon, where he had just fallen down and landed on top of Rodney.

He took in the scene before him in confusion. Blood was now flowing down Jennifer's pale and frightened face from the bite mark on her cheek.

He asked, "What's going on? Why was Ronon attacking McKay?"

Jennifer shook her head and went over to help Ronon and Rodney. Other members of the infirmary staff who had heard the commotion were now approaching the two unconscious men in a businesslike manner.

John pointed at Ronon and said to the marines, "Take him to the brig."

Jennifer shook her head, "No, please take him to the isolation room."

John indicated for the marines to do as she had asked and they quickly lifted Ronon's heavy form off McKay and carried him out of the infirmary.

Jennifer asked some of her staff, "Go with them. I'm going to need a blood sample."

They nodded and followed the marines with Ronon.

Jennifer crouched down next to Rodney with several other people and a look of grim concern crossed her face. She quickly checked him over and took in the dark bruise on the side of his face and the blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. "He's having trouble breathing, I'm going to need to intubate."

John watched and kept out of the way as the medical team lifted Rodney up and placed him on the gurney he had hit a moment ago. Jennifer's face was neutral as she hid her feelings well. A large drop of blood which had been trailing along her chin suddenly dripped down and splashed onto Rodney as she leant over him. It quickly mingled with his, but Jennifer took no heed to it as she helped the others cut away Rodney's uniform.

John winced and narrowed his eyes when they removed Rodney's shirt. His entire torso was nothing but a mass of purple bruises where Ronon had hit him without ceasing and not shown any mercy.

John's concern quickly changed into anger and confusion over why Ronon would have done such a thing. They had only just come back from the mission with Jennifer. He knew about what had happened, but there was now obviously more going on between them than he originally thought.

He watched for a few more minutes as Jennifer and her team tried to stabilise McKay, who now had a breathing tube in his mouth and they were keeping the air circulating into and out of his damaged lungs with a hand pump.

He caught snippets of words he could understand while they worked, "Concussion… internal bleeding… fractured ribs… punctured lung…" It sounded serious and Jennifer was still stoically ignoring the cuts on her own face as she tried to save Rodney's life.

Jennifer checked Rodney's monitor as they had attached leads to him to find out about his condition. She frowned and said, "Blood pressure is still dropping. Prep the OR, we need to stop the bleeding or we'll lose him."

The people who were crowded around Rodney's bed wheeled him over to the doors on the other side of the infirmary along with all the equipment. Jennifer followed as blood still fell silently from her pale face and landed on her uniform where it had already created a dark and shiny patch.

One of her team spun around as the others pushed Rodney through the doors and said, "Dr Keller, your face! You need to get that cleaned up or it could get infected."

Jennifer furrowed her brow as the doors swung closed behind the rest of her team, "But Rodney…"

"We'll take good care of him, Doctor. Get yourself patched up and rest. You've just had a nasty shock."

John walked over to them as Jennifer remained standing still and looking a little shell-shocked. She nodded slowly as the other Doctor went through the doors and they closed in her face.

Teyla suddenly came into the infirmary and said breathlessly, "Colonel Sheppard, Dr Keller, I just heard what happened. How are Rodney and Ronon?"

Jennifer seemed to calm at Teyla's presence and a little colour returned to her face. John guided Jennifer over to a waiting nurse and she sat down on the bed silently with her face in a pensive expression.

The nurse carefully cleaned the cut and said quietly, "You are going to need stitches, Doctor."

Teyla was looking at the curved cuts on Jennifer's face and narrowed her eyes, "Are they…"

Jennifer looked up at her and confirmed, "Teeth marks? Yes."

Teyla looked horrified and John whistled softly before he asked, "Who?"

"It was Ronon. He came here with a headache so I went away to gather my equipment. When I got back, he had changed somehow and he attacked me."

The nurse came over to them and Jennifer lay back on the bed so that she would remain as still as possible while the stitches were used to seal the edges of the cuts together.

John asked, "What happened to McKay?"

Jennifer sighed softly and looked away sadly, "He tried to stop Ronon and he was attacked."

She suddenly looked up at Sheppard with wide and fearful eyes and John was taken aback by the depths of worry he saw in the look. "Ronon kept on hitting and hitting him and he just absorbed it all and didn't even try to fight back. Ronon nearly killed him. In fact, he could still die if they can't find a way stop the internal bleeding."

The nurse set her lips in a thin line as she paused in her work while Jennifer spoke. Keller tilted her head back onto the pillow and stared up at the ceiling above. "I… I have no idea why he did it, why he attacked me and why he hurt Rodney so badly. You'll need to speak with Ronon about it while I analyse the blood sample."

She sighed sadly and finally stopped moving so that the nurse could continue her work.

John turned to Teyla, "Stay here with Dr Keller. I'm going to see what's happened to Ronon."

Teyla nodded at him and understood. She was also being left there to protect both Jennifer and Rodney in case Ronon broke free or anyone else decided they had ill intentions towards the pair.

----------

A few minutes later, John stood in the gallery and looked down at Ronon as he remained unconscious and securely strapped to the bed in the isolation room. The marines he had sent with him were standing in the room on either side of the closed door and held their stun guns ready in case he tried to escape.

John was idly spinning a long and jagged knife around in his hands. The marines had handed it to him a moment ago and they had told him that they had found it on Ronon as they were carrying him.

A nurse was checking Ronon's monitors carefully.

Ronon had not used the knife on Rodney and John was puzzled. The savagery of the attack was enough, but he was not sure how even Ronon's current irrational mind had been able to see the unfairness of stabbing an unarmed man.

Not that what Ronon had done had been anything like having a fair fight. He had hurt Rodney, who was not a soldier and would never fight back against him, even if he believed it was not a futile gesture. Ronon had laid out marines in his time, so what chance did a civilian scientist stand against him anyway?

It was not that John thought Rodney was totally helpless, at least not anymore. He had just refused to hit out at his teammate and John was actually quite grateful for that. John believed that any kind of defence or counter from Rodney would have only made it worse for him. He had a suspicion that Ronon would not have hesitated to use the knife on Rodney had that happened and that he would almost certainly have been killed outright before the infirmary staff could have done anything for him.

John's frown deepened when he saw that Ronon's hands were bandaged. The force of the punches he had slammed into McKay had been such that it had given him bruised and bloody knuckles.

John narrowed his eyes as he reached up and tapped his radio, "Sheppard to Dr Zelenka."

_"Go ahead, Colonel."_

"I need to view some video surveillance footage from the last hour or so."

"_Is this about Rodney? Is he alright?"_

John frowned, "We don't know yet. He's still in surgery. Where are you?"

There was a pause and John thought he heard a tiny sigh through his headset from the scientist. _"The science lab."_

John took one last look down at Ronon's sleeping form and quickly jogged out of the gallery and into the nearest transporter.

He was soon standing next to Zelenka in the science lab and watching the video as it tracked Rodney and Ronon's movements just before the attack.

He raised his eyebrows at the end and Radek's mouth hung open. He muttered, "I had no idea! Rodney, Ronon and Dr Keller!"

John grimaced, "I did…"

Radek waved his hand down at the paused image as it remained locked at the moment when Ronon was shaking hands with McKay. He turned and looked at John, "Looks like Ronon decided he needed to fight after all, but why did he continue to hit Rodney even after he had clearly won?"

John shook his head vehemently, "Ronon would never knowingly do such a thing to McKay."

Radek raised his eyebrows in disbelief, "He is not exactly a gentle man…"

"You don't know him like I do. I trust him and I can only assume that something's either taken over him or is impairing his judgement at the moment. Rodney was just unfortunate enough to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Radek furrowed his brow and glanced at the image on the screen as he said, "I will encrypt the video data so that only you and I may access it. I suspect others may be curious about why it happened and we should try to keep it away from prying eyes."

John nodded, "Do it."

Radek spun himself around in the chair and started to type.

John knew that he would never tell Rodney, Ronon or Jennifer about what he had just seen and he trusted that Radek would not either. He took his cue to leave and decided to return to the infirmary to check on Teyla and see whether Jennifer had any answers from Ronon's blood sample yet.

----------

Teyla sat in a chair next to Jennifer in the infirmary. She faced out of the lab so that she could keep an eye on the entrance to the room and the closed doors which concealed Rodney and the medical team still battling to save his life in surgery.

Jennifer was typing on her laptop and frowning in concentration. There were two small rows of expert stitches on her cheek. She winced a little now that she was no longer distracted by being the one responsible for Rodney's life.

Teyla could see sadness and worry on Jennifer's face as she unsuccessfully tried to hide them beneath her frown. She already knew there was something going on between Jennifer and Rodney. She was not totally oblivious to the glances they shared or the way Rodney's demeanour drastically changed whenever he was speaking with or just nearby Jennifer.

Teyla was unsure about Ronon though. The Satedan always hid his emotions well and was mostly unreadable. He very rarely spoke his mind and even then it was usually only when he had been asked.

She did not know what had driven Ronon to physical violence against Rodney and this worried her. She knew they both trusted each other and the attack would probably undermine their friendship to such an extent that Teyla was unsure they would ever be able to repair it. Also, there was the matter of exactly why Ronon had committed his act.

"Have you made any progress, Dr Keller?"

Jennifer sighed and rubbed her eyes gently so as not to pull the stitches. "There seems to be a pathogen in Ronon's system. Possibly from the planet we just returned from. It didn't show up in the initial screening as there wasn't enough of it in his system for us to notice it."

Teyla glanced at her briefly before returning her eyes to the door, "Do you think you will be able to cure him?"

"I'm not sure yet. It's affecting his hormones, which is why he acted so irrationally earlier."

"His hormones. Does that not mean…"

"Yes, he was probably acting out of instinct as they took over him. The pathogen also has the ability to suppress higher brain functions."

Teyla frowned, "So, he was not thinking about what he was doing?"

Jennifer nodded, "I can't see that it's contagious. I've double checked both Rodney and my own medical records from after we returned and I haven't found anything."

"Is there any way to neutralise it?"

Jennifer shook her head, "That's what I'm working on now. We may need to go back to the planet to try and find out what caused it. From these readings it seems to be from a plant, but I can't be sure yet."

Teyla continued to watch the door as she waited patiently for news of Rodney's condition and for Jennifer to complete her work.

----------

TBC


	3. Let Her Decide

**Chapter 3 – Let Her Decide**

"How're you feeling, buddy?" John asked Ronon in the isolation room.

Ronon narrowed his eyes and growled as he tried to free himself from the restraints holding him securely.

"Still not so good, huh? Well, Dr Keller says she's been able to synthesise an antidote without us having to go back to the planet."

Ronon shouted angrily, "McKay!"

John raised his eyebrows, "He only just came out of surgery. They still don't know whether he's going to be alright. You sure did a number on him."

Ronon scowled, "Jennifer's mine, McKay got in the way."

John furrowed his brow and uncomfortably shifted his feet a little where he was standing close to Ronon's bed. "Dr Keller says the pathogen is making you act and speak on instinct alone, so I'll ignore that little comment."

Ronon roared, "McKay's a dead man!"

"And that one," John continued. "I can understand all the alpha male and eliminating the competition stuff, but why did you attack Jennifer as well?"

Ronon curled his lip up into a snarl and then shot an unnerving and wicked smile Sheppard's way. "She's _mine_."

"Hmm, I thought so." John rolled his eyes, "But that's no excuse to go all _Klingon_ on us."

Ronon frowned in confusion and then started savagely yanking at the restraints once more.

John's eyes widened and he said, "Hey hey hey! I wouldn't do that if I were you or we'll have to stun you again. We don't want you escaping and finishing what you started."

Ronon ignored him and rolled on the bed to try and free himself. The straps held his wrists and ankles fast and he only succeeded in giving himself bruises.

Jennifer entered the room and saw the state Ronon was in. She turned to John and asked incredulously, "What did you do to him? He was fine a moment ago."

John looked away guiltily, "Not much. I was just talking to him."

Ronon immediately stilled when he spotted Jennifer. A deep rumble came from his throat and he narrowed his eyes seductively. Jennifer very skilfully ignored his gaze and injected him with a syringe she had brought with her.

Ronon's growl was cut short as he was knocked out by the injection and his face smoothed out as he fell back onto the pillow.

Jennifer pursed her lips and spoke, "That's the antidote I was able to create. It should start taking effect straight away. I anticipate it'll take a few hours for it to counteract the effects of the pathogen, so we should keep him in here for now."

John nodded at her and asked, "Rodney?"

Jennifer's face fell even further and she cast her eyes down to the ground in sadness. She said quietly, "He's not doing so well."

John sighed and placed a hand on her back, "Come on."

He guided her away from Ronon and nodded in acknowledgment at the marines still standing by the door as they walked through.

They walked a short distance up the deserted corridor and then Jennifer stopped and faced John. "They surgically repaired all the internal damage he suffered and gave him a blood transfusion. We even put him under the scanner to make sure we found everything, but his condition is still deteriorating. It's almost like he's giving up on us and we don't know why."

John sighed again and knew that there was a limit to how much he could tell her. He did not believe she was completely oblivious to what was going on around her, but he did not really want to confirm her suspicions if he could avoid it. He therefore settled on bending the truth a little.

"Rodney's been betrayed by someone he thought he could trust with his life. I can't imagine it's going to be very easy to bounce back from such a thing. We just need to be there for him." He gave Jennifer a pointed look and she frowned at him in confusion, "_You_ need to be there for him if he's to pull through."

Jennifer nodded, "What about him and Ronon? It's going to take a lot of work to repair that rift."

John looked away, "Yes, but I think we should leave that confrontation until Rodney's feeling a bit better."

Jennifer smiled bravely at his unwavering confidence that Rodney was going to recover and visibly steeled herself as she began to walk back along the corridor towards the transporter again. John followed her as they headed to the infirmary.

----------

Rodney lay as still as death in the infirmary. The only signs that he was still alive came from the heart monitor slowly beeping near his head and the steady rise and fall of his chest as the ventilator rhythmically breathed for him.

Teyla held his hand and furrowed her brow as she looked along him and saw how pale his face was where it was not darkened with bruises. The exposed skin of his shoulders above the bandages was also so white that she had to look at his chest to reassure herself that he was definitely still alive.

She nodded at John and Jennifer as they walked into the infirmary and came over to her.

Jennifer checked Rodney's monitors and then looked down at him sadly.

Teyla said softly, "I wish there was more we could do for him."

John pulled up a chair as Jennifer stood near Rodney's head and ran her fingers through his hair. She left her hand on the side of his face that was not so severely bruised and her expression fell in worry. She said, "Just being here and talking to him is all we can do for now…"

----------

_"I'm not going to fight you for her…"_

Rodney's own words echoed in the vast emptiness of his unconscious mind. They flew back at him and made him dig even deeper into the dark corners of his thoughts.

Ronon suddenly ran at him out of the darkness and he could not lift his hands up in time to block as he was forced to relive the attack again and again.

Jennifer was always there watching and waiting patiently for them to finish so that she could find out who would win. She would then take the victor away with her and ignore the loser.

Rodney collapsed onto the ground and Ronon continued to kick him while Jennifer looked on impassively.

Blood gurgled up into Rodney's mouth and he cried out to her as another heavy blow caught him in the ribcage, "J-Jennifer! Help… me!"

She continued to stare blankly down at him as he turned his blood streaked face to the side to look at her. He saw her eyes narrow and then she looked up at Ronon. Rodney saw her face change into a look of admiration over how Ronon had won not only against Rodney but in her heart as well.

McKay tilted his head back and closed his eyes as Ronon drove another savage kick into his side.

Ronon had now taken away everything he held onto. He had lost his independence through the injuries he had sustained, his health was failing him as he continued to weaken and now the woman he loved would never choose him over Ronon.

He already knew he had lost the metaphorical fight before Ronon decided to take it literally and physically attack him. He had already been down and now that he had been so badly hurt it was enough to force him that much further along and right over the edge.

The Satedan had won out over him and Rodney knew he was helpless to defend against him or do anything to get Jennifer back.

Ronon's foot pressed down on Rodney's ribcage and he found that he could no longer breathe. His eyes watered through the pain and loss and the last thing his unconscious mind showed him through narrowed eyes was Jennifer with her arms wrapped around Ronon's torso. He gazed back at her in triumph as he crushed McKay's ribs under his weight. He twisted his own body around and held Jennifer possessively.

They both ignored Rodney who lay broken and bleeding on the ground in front of them and Jennifer leaned in and kissed Ronon passionately just before Rodney's unconscious mind faded to bleak unawareness once more.

----------

"Come on, McKay!" John shouted across the infirmary from where the medical team had pushed him and Teyla out of the way.

The whine of the flat lining heart monitor sent a searing fear down his throat and into his heart. Teyla's eyes were wide and frightened as they both watched the medical team desperately trying to revive Rodney.

Jennifer's face remained neutral as she compressed his already badly bruised ribcage to try and restart his heart.

She moved aside and let one of her colleagues take over after a few minutes. She looked down at Rodney's pale and immobile face concealed underneath the tube still in his mouth and she whispered quietly into his ear, "Come back to us, Rodney." She furrowed her brow and said under her breath, "Please, come back to _me_."

----------

Even in the stillness, Rodney's failing mind heard the words and he used them as a beacon and a guide. _"Jennifer?"_

More speech broke through his senses and pierced his fragile mind, _"That's it! Oh, Rodney! I thought we'd lost you!"_

It was Jennifer again and she sounded more worried than he had ever heard. She had not run away with Ronon after he had been attacked. She still cared about what happened to him, despite his obvious weaknesses. He inwardly smiled and let himself drift back down into the pool of darkness which had suddenly become a lot shallower and less deadly than before.

----------

"He's bleeding internally again," Jennifer said as she looked at the screen next to where Rodney was lying under the scanner. She needed to make a decision. Was it serious enough for him to require more surgery, which he was probably too weak to survive now anyway? Should they wait and see whether it stopped on its own?

She gazed down and along Rodney's prone form and furrowed her brow. She could not bear the thought of losing him, but it was going to be difficult for him to live through either option in the state he was currently in.

John and Teyla were still hovering nervously nearby and she shared a concerned look with them before she returned her eyes to the screen. The bleeding seemed to be slowing down and she smiled.

She turned back to Rodney and squeezed his upper arm gently and said quietly, "Don't give up on us." She continued the sentence in her mind, _"Don't leave me."_

Lights continuously tracked along his body and the screen updated. Jennifer's smile broadened although some of the worry in her expression still remained. She spoke quietly to her staff as they gathered around Rodney's bed and they then wheeled him away into the corner of the infirmary.

Jennifer went over to John and Teyla and said, "I can't explain it. He just suddenly started getting better. He's stable for now and the bleeding should stop without the need for any more surgery. I'm going to let you stay here for as long as you like to keep him company and make sure he doesn't drift away from us again."

Teyla gave her a small smile, "Thank you, Doctor Keller."

John nodded in agreement, "Yes, thanks." He raised his eyebrows at Jennifer, "Maybe it was something someone said to him?"

She briefly narrowed her eyes in suspicion at him and then walked across the room to check Rodney once more.

John and Teyla waited for her to finish and then pulled up chairs next to his bed to continue their vigil.

----------

TBC


	4. Step Aside

**Chapter 4 –Step Aside**

"Have you spoken to McKay yet?" John asked as he circled around Ronon in the gym.

It was a few days since the attack and Ronon had been released from his restraints after the antidote successfully removed the pathogen from his system.

"No," he mumbled. He did not think McKay would want to see him ever again after what he had done to the scientist.

He hated himself for what had happened and remembered it all through a haze of anger. He had nearly killed McKay, who had always trusted him and was a person he had sworn to protect.

John swung a fist towards Ronon, but he blocked it. He did not fight back. After recent events he did not really feel in the mood for fighting or attacking anyone, he was afraid of losing control again and what he might do.

His hands and wrists were still sore and sent his guilt levels soaring every time he looked at or used them. He had refused any painkillers as a way of punishing himself. He knew that his own pain was minor in comparison to Rodney's, but he needed something to focus on.

"I think you should," John said as he eyed Ronon critically and kept his fists up in a fighting stance. "Teyla's with him now. He has actually been asking about why you haven't visited him yet."

"Really?" Ronon felt a little confused that McKay would want to see him after sustaining such serious injuries at his hands. Ronon could say that he had had no power over what he was doing, but that was the easy way out and a poor excuse for how badly he had hurt Rodney.

John sent another punch, followed by a kick towards Ronon. He dodged the punch, but the kick caught him in the chest. He coughed and staggered a little before he straightened up.

Sheppard frowned and lowered his hands. "What about Dr Keller? Have you spoken to her yet?"

"Yes," Ronon grunted. He remembered the confrontation well. His own clipped words and her stern expression, because of course she had been on the front line in the battle to save Rodney and they had nearly lost him several times.

"And?" John continued, trying to coax a reaction and force the Satedan to verbally release his problems.

"She seemed angry, but otherwise fine."

John furrowed his brow, "What happened wasn't your fault. I don't blame you. It could've been her who was infected with the pathogen or even Rodney. No-one has any right to be angry with you. She was probably just tired. She's not slept since… well…"

Ronon stood still and looked down at the ground as he mumbled, "You're right. She did accept the apology."

John smiled, "Good."

He looked around the room and shrugged, "Well, if we're done here, I think it's high time for you to come with me to the infirmary."

Ronon felt reluctant to go and see firsthand the consequences of his actions. Although he did feel hopeful that if McKay had indeed been asking to see him, then maybe things would be alright between them after all.

He followed Sheppard out of the gym and into the nearest transporter.

----------

Ronon stepped up to the ever open door leading into the infirmary and stopped. He hesitated on the threshold and steeled himself. John let him take his time and when he was eventually ready, they both walked into the room.

The first thing Ronon noticed was how quiet it was. There was a solitary beeping of a heart monitor and a soft whirring of some equipment he could not localise.

He glanced around the room and soon saw McKay in one of the beds. He appeared to be asleep and Teyla was sitting next to him with a slightly worried expression. She noticed them and beckoned them to come over, but keep quiet.

Ronon winced and a tight pang of guilt went through him as he got closer to Rodney. Even though he had been healing for a few days, his face was severely bruised and swollen. Ronon could also see tight bandages wrapped around his entire torso where he had had to endure surgery to repair the internal damage Ronon had inflicted on him.

The breathing tube had been removed, but it still looked like breathing was not coming as easily to Rodney as it normally should have been.

They kept their silence as they approached. Whether by the fact that he was only sleeping very lightly or that he heard their soft footfalls, Rodney opened his eyes and looked around blearily.

The first person he saw was Teyla smiling back at him and he tried to return the expression, but it made him wince and furrow his brow. She gently squeezed his hand and he relaxed a little and tilted his head back.

Ronon stopped walking and turned to John, "Maybe I shouldn't."

John shook his head, "You have to."

Rodney had definitely heard them this time and his heart monitor sped up as his frightened blue eyes locked with Ronon's. His chest hitched a little and he trembled as his broken ribs shifted inside him.

Jennifer came over to them and narrowed her eyes at Ronon's presence. She approached Rodney as tears of pain ran down his cheeks and he shivered. She injected his IV line and the creases of pain under the bruising across his face were lessened and he stopped shaking.

She nodded at John and Teyla and even at Ronon, but did not say anything as she went back into her lab.

Ronon went up to McKay and sat down out of hitting range and made sure that he could still see John and Teyla next to him. They were ready to intervene if it got too much for him or he decided that he did not want to see Ronon after all.

Rodney gazed at him tiredly and then he turned to Teyla and John, "Can we have a moment?"

John narrowed his eyes and patted Rodney's arm, "Are you sure?"

"Yes… well, you can wait over by the door… uh, just in case."

John and Teyla stood up and walked out of earshot. Ronon moved his chair closer to Rodney's head and gritted his teeth now that he could see the true extent of his injuries up close.

Painful and dark bruising mottled the exposed portions of his pale skin. It was an even more pronounced livid purple and red colour all up one side of his face and across his bare shoulders and forearms. Above the sheet, he could also see some of the bandages wrapped around Rodney's chest and abdomen as they concealed the worst of his injuries.

Ronon did not really know what to say, but he settled on quietly mumbling, "I'm sorry."

Rodney nodded slowly, "I know."

He drew in a shaky breath and laid his arms over his chest protectively. He then turned away from Ronon and closed his eyes as he faced the wall opposite. He said in a sad and resigned voice, "I said I wouldn't fight you for her and I won't. If you want her, she's yours. Just don't hit me again."

Ronon frowned and took hold of Rodney's upper arm, which seemed to be the least bruised part of him. He said sincerely, "No. The fight's not over yet, McKay."

Rodney flinched and shrunk back under the touch and the words, but the painkillers Jennifer had given him must have been strong because he did not tremble again. He turned his head and opened his eyes as he looked at Ronon in hopefulness.

Ronon let go of his arm and mumbled, "I'm still willing to let her decide, if you are?"

Rodney smiled, "Yes, of course."

Ronon decided that Rodney had probably had enough of him being there so he got up to leave. He turned around, but the light pressure of a grip around his wrist stopped him.

He looked down at Rodney, who had his hand curled around Ronon's arm weakly. His face was set in a hard line, like he was willing himself to do something unpleasant or something that he was reluctant to do.

He said softly, "Uhm, apology accepted." He then released his grip and laid his hand over his thickly bandaged abdomen.

Ronon smiled at him briefly and then sat back down. He waited as Rodney's eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep and then he stayed with him. John and Teyla soon came back and they watched in a comfortable silence as Rodney slept on and continued to heal.

----------

_**The End!**_


End file.
